The present invention relates to an analyzing apparatus such as a focused ion beam (FIB) apparatus, a scanning electron microscope (SEM), a transmission electron microscope (TEM), or a scanning probe microscope (SPM), and relates to a tool for handling, or separating, picking up, storing a small sample or the like and having a function of working a small sample used for TEM observation or grabbing and carrying a small sample in observation.
While observing a small sample by SEM or an FIB microscope (SIM), a portion of a conductor wafer or the like is cut out and picked up to be transferred to a sample base or the like to be fixed in cutting out a failed defect portion for working a TEM sample. There is means for transferring such a small picked-up sample constituted by using a single or a plurality of bimorph type piezoelectric elements, or finely moved by a stepping motor. At a front end of a driving portion, there is present a slender needle-like constitution referred to as prove, or a grabbing tool comprising a plurality of pieces of support members or the like. In the case of the probe, a sample is fixed by forming a deposition film between the front end of the probe and the sample by irradiating a charged particle beam while supplying a gas, a sample is attracted by static electricity of the front end to be transferred, and therefore, it is difficult to control a position of the sample in transferring the sample. Further, in the case of a grabbing member, when the sample is grabbed, it is a factor of determining a sample carrying success rate whether a shape thereof is easy to be grabbed, or an operability thereof is excellent.
JP-A-2003-217494 (page 2, FIG. 1) proposes a charged particle beam apparatus including a laminated type piezoelectric element block for handling a small part. Two sheets of plates having sharp front ends are constituted by bimorph type piezoelectric elements, and function as an opening/closing grabbing member by making the two sheets proximate to each other or remote from each other by applying a voltage. A small part constituting an object of observation is carried to an aimed location and thereafter connected to a power source line by a W deposited film by a focused ion beam in a gas atmosphere of W (CO)6.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 3109220 proposes a gripper in which a grabbing member is constituted by a flexible finger having a function of grabbing by deforming the flexible finger by a Lorenz force.
Further, JP-A-8-257926 (page 4, FIG. 1) proposes an integrating method in which when the flexible finger of Japanese Patent Publication No. 3109220 is integrated, positions of front ends of grabbing portions are matched. According to the integrating method, grabbing front end members are connected to a cabinet by electrodes, thereafter, the two grabbing members are bonded by adjusting a position of the cabinet such that positions of the grabbing members are opposed to each other.
However, when a mechanism of grabbing and carrying a small sample as described in the background art of the preceding item is used, it is conceivable to bring about a change in an attitude and a shift in an angle of a small sample owing to a shape of the front end of the grabbing member. Therefore, the sample cannot be grabbed by a desired attitude by the grabbing mechanism, and therefore, it is difficult to transfer the grabbed sample in a desired attitude. Further, when the attitude of the sample is shifted, it is necessary to adjust the angle by operating a mechanism of grabbing the sample by a stage. Further, when the attitude is shifted to outside of a movable range of the stage, the attitude cannot be corrected. In order to resolve the above-described problem, shapes of the grabbing portion and the sample need to be aligned accurately within a correcting range. The invention provides a method of resolving the above-described problem and accurately grabbing and transferring a small sample.